It is common for wireline telephone systems to support multiple telephone extensions that have a common access number. For example, a private residence may have telephone extensions in different rooms of the residence, and all of these extensions may have a common telephone number. When a call initiation signal is directed at that telephone number, each of the extensions may ring. Such a system has the ability to conference multiple extensions together by lifting the handsets of the extensions during a call. For example, if one of the extensions in a residence is involved in a telephone call with a party that has a second telephone number, then another extension in the residence may join the call by lifting the handset of that extension. In such a system, it is generally easy for someone in the residence to determine that a call has been directed at the residence's phone number because all of the extensions would ring. It is also easy for a person to determine that one of the extensions is in use because the person would be located in relatively close physical proximity to the extensions.
With the increasing popularity of wireless phones, many families and businesses have incorporated wireless communications into their daily activities. To satisfy consumer needs, a group of wireless phones can now be accessed via the same telephone number. In such systems, when a call initiation signal is directed to a telephone number that is associated with a group of wireless telephones, then each of the wireless phones in the group receives the call initiation signal (e.g., each phone “rings”). When one of the wireless phones accepts the call, however, the other wireless phones in the group become unusable. Similarly, if one of the wireless phones in the group initiates a call, the other phones become unusable.
While it is relatively simple to determine if someone in your household is using another extension, the situation becomes more complex when using a wireless phone. Members of a group of wireless phones are often at different locations, and it is not always possible to determine if someone is using the phone number. In addition, it may be difficult for members of a group in a wireless system to join a call that one person in the group is engaged in. While it is possible to coordinate such “conference calls” in a residence by verbally asking the other members of the household to pick up another extension, members of a wireless group may not be within verbal range.